2013-14 Yale Men's Cross Country News

February 18, 2014Team, Dooney Earn USTFCCCA Academic HonorsThe U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released its 2013 Division I NCAA Cross Country All-Academic Award recipients on Monday, naming the Yale men's cross country squad an All-Academic team and sophomore standout Kevin Dooney an individual All-Academic honoree.

December 11, 2013Dooney Receives Stanley-Cleary Award at Team BanquetThe Yale men’s cross country team held its annual banquet on the evening of Dec. 9, celebrating the end of its successful season. Sophomore Kevin Dooney received the Mike Stanley-John Cleary Class of 1954 Men's Cross Country Award, given annually to "the outstanding member of the Yale men's cross country team who excels in Dedication, Commitment, and Inspiration to the sport of cross country."

December 11, 2013McGowan Elected Captain for 2014 SeasonThe Yale men’s cross country team named junior John McGowan its team captain for the 2014 season after an election held at its annual team banquet on Dec. 9. McGowan, a Davenport Global Affairs major from Washington, D.C., has been one of the Bulldogs’ most consistently impressive runners during the past three seasons, and his teammates recognized his leadership at the team banquet.

December 8, 2013Dooney Runs at European ChampionshipsYale men’s cross country team sophomore Kevin Dooney capped off his season in memorable fashion on Sunday, representing his home country of Ireland at the 20th SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. Competing as one of the six members of Ireland’s Under-23 squad, Dooney ran the 8K race in 24:57, placing 38th overall and third on the Irish team. Ireland placed fourth overall in the U-23 race, trailing only France, Great Britain & Northern Ireland and Ukraine.

December 4, 2013Dooney Heads to Serbia for European ChampionshipsYale men's cross country team sophomore Kevin Dooney—a native of Dublin, Ireland—will compete as a member of Ireland's Under-23 squad at the 20th SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, on Sunday. Dooney will be competing in the 8K race, serving as a representative not only of his country, but also of Raheny Shamrock AC, an Irish athletics club devoted to competitive running. Athletics Ireland, the country’s official national athletic association, made its team selections on Nov. 25. Dooney is one of three runners from American colleges competing for the Irish U-23 team.

November 26, 2013Dooney to Represent Ireland at European Cross Country ChampionshipsYale men’s cross country team sophomore Kevin Dooney learned early this week that he had been selected to run on Ireland’s Under-23 squad at the 20th SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, on Dec. 8. Dooney—a native of Dublin, Ireland—will run the 8K race at Belgrade’s Park of Friendship alongside some of the best young athletes Europe has to offer. He will be serving as a representative of Raheny Shamrock AC, an Irish athletics club devoted to competitive running.

November 23, 2013Dooney Concludes Sophomore Season at National ChampionshipsThe Yale men’s cross country team’s season concluded in exciting fashion on Saturday, as sophomore Kevin Dooney ran the 10K race at the Division I NCAA National Championships, held at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center in Terre Haute, Ind. Competing in muddy conditions alongside more than 250 of the most talented runners in the country, Dooney placed 98th, finishing with a time of 31:18.5. Colorado (149 points), Northern Arizona (169), Oklahoma State (230), BYU (267) and Oregon (274) were the meet’s top five team finishers, while Oregon’s Edward Cheserek (29:41.1) was the race’s top individual runner.

November 17, 2013Dooney Qualifies for NCAA ChampionshipsFor just the second time in the last three years and the third time in the last nine years, the Yale men’s cross country team will send one of its own to the Division I NCAA National Championships. Thanks to his 11th-place finish at the Division I NCAA Northeast Regional Championships on Nov. 15, sophomore Kevin Dooney earned an automatic individual bid to Nationals, which will be held at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center in Terre Haute, Ind., on Saturday, Nov. 23. A total of 31 teams, plus 38 individuals, qualified for the 10K race—resulting in a total field of about 250 athletes. Although the Bulldogs did not qualify as a team, Dooney received his spot by placing in the top 25 overall at Regionals and being one of the fastest four runners at Regionals on a non-qualifying team.

November 15, 2013Dooney Named All-Region HonoreeJust two weeks after being named to the All-Ivy second team following his eighth-place finish at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships (Heps), Yale men’s cross country team sophomore Kevin Dooney earned All-Region honors with his 11th-place showing at the NCAA Division I Northeast Regional Championships. All-Region honors are reserved for the 450 male and female athletes each season who place in the top 25 at the nine different regional championships.

November 15, 2013Bulldogs Record Highest Regionals Finish Since 2004The Yale men’s cross country team did exactly what it set out to do on Friday at the Division I NCAA Northeast Regional Championships, finishing in seventh place with 199 points—its best finish at Regionals in nine years. The 10K race, held at New York City’s Van Cortlandt Park, pitted the Bulldogs against all the top teams in the region, including many of their Ivy League rivals. The team appeared more than up for the challenge, finishing in line with their seventh-place regional ranking coming into the race. Yale finished just behind Dartmouth (101 points) and Harvard (155), while placing ahead of Central Connecticut State University (270) and Cornell (326). As expected, Syracuse (57), Columbia (78) and Iona (81) finished in the race’s top three spots, respectively.

November 13, 2013Elis Head to New York for Regional ChampionshipsAfter putting together a solid fifth-place showing at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships (Heps) two weeks ago, the Yale men’s cross country team will embark for New York City this week, as the Bulldogs prepare to compete in the Division I NCAA Northeast Regional Championships at Van Cortlandt Park on Friday. The outcome of Regionals determines which schools and individual athletes get the chance to compete at the Division I NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind., on Nov. 23.

November 2, 2013Dooney Earns Second Team All-Ivy HonorsWith his eighth-place finish on Saturday at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships (Heps), Yale men’s cross country team sophomore Kevin Dooney was named to the the All-Ivy second team.

November 2, 2013Ten Bulldogs Set PRs as Team Races to Best Heps Finish Since 2006The Yale men’s cross country team continued its streak of solid performances with a fifth-place finish at the always competitive Ivy League Heptagonal Championships (Heps) on Saturday. With 116 points, the Bulldogs trailed only Columbia (48 points, ranked 10th nationally), Princeton (56 points, ranked 15th nationally), Dartmouth (64 points, ranked sixth in the Northeast Region) and Harvard (103 points, ranked 21st nationally). The Bulldogs fifth-place showing marked its best performance at Heps since 2006, when the team placed fourth overall.

October 25, 2013Bulldogs Take Third in New BritainThe Yale men’s cross country team ensured they would enter the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships next weekend on a high note after putting on a dominating display at the Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) Mini Meet on Friday.

October 24, 2013Bulldogs Head to Nearby New Britain for CCSU Mini MeetComing off a strong performance at the competitive Pre-Nationals Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind., last weekend, the Yale men’s cross country team will not travel far this weekend when it makes the trip to New Britain, Conn., to compete at the CCSU Mini Meet on Friday. The meet, hosted by Central Connecticut State University, gets its name from the fact that competitors only run a 5K course—shorter than the 8K course run at most meets throughout the season.

October 16, 2013Bulldogs Preparing for Pre-National Invitational in IndianaThe Yale men’s cross country team is traveling farther than normal this weekend, as it heads to Terre Haute, Ind., on Saturday to compete in the Pre-National Invitational, hosted by Indiana State University and held at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course.

October 12, 2013Bulldogs Take 10th at New England ChampionshipsCompeting at Boston’s Franklin Park for the second time this season, the Yale men’s cross country team put their depth on display on Saturday with a 10th-place finish in an especially competitive field of 41 schools at the New England Championships. Thanks in large part to strong finishes by ­­­­­­­­­­senior Michael Cunetta and junior Tom Harrison, the Elis ended the day with 305 points, finishing just behind MIT (273 points). Central Connecticut State University (74 points), Northeastern (120), Dartmouth (133), Boston University (196) and Middlebury (214) took the top five spots. The Bulldogs previously competed at Franklin Park in the season opener, racing against their rivals in the annual Harvard-Yale meet.

October 10, 2013Bulldogs Aim to Continue Streak of Success at New England ChampionshipsComing off a well-rounded seventh-place finish at the ultra-competitive Paul Short Invitational last weekend, the Yale men’s cross country team heads to Boston this weekend to race against some of the top talent the northeast region has to offer. The New England Championships, held at Boston’s Franklin Park, will pit Yale against approximately 40 other schools, including many of their regional rivals. Last year’s race attracted the likes of Boston College, Bowdoin, Dartmouth, Northeastern, Tufts, Quinnipiac and Williams, and the field figures to look similar this year.

October 3, 2013Bulldogs Ready for Challenge in Lehigh ValleyComing off a remarkably well-rounded showing that saw it take second place at the competitive Iona Meet of Champions two weekends ago, the Yale men’s cross country team will head to Bethlehem, Pa., this weekend to face its toughest test yet: the Paul Short Invitational, hosted by Lehigh.

September 21, 2013Bulldogs Take Second at Competitive Iona MeetAfter a tough loss to Harvard in its season opener, the Yale men’s cross country team needed a strong performance to help gather momentum and get the team moving in the right direction. Fortunately, the Bulldogs came through with a clutch showing at the 19th annual Brother John "Paddy" Doyle Iona College Meet of Champions in New York City on Saturday. Running on the 8K course at Van Cortlandt Park, the Bulldogs flew by most of their competition, including rival Brown (ranked 11th in the northeast region), Navy (seventh in the mid-Atlantic) and St. Joseph’s (12th in the mid-Atlantic). At the end of the day, the Elis finished second overall with 97 points, trailing only meet hosts Iona—a premier program ranked second in the northeast region and 13th in the country.

September 20, 2013Bulldogs Hope to Bounce Back in NYCFollowing a tough loss to rival Harvard in its season opener last weekend, the Yale men’s cross country team seeks to build momentum as it travels to New York City to race at the 19th annual Brother John "Paddy" Doyle
Iona College Meet of Champions this Saturday. The Bulldogs last competed at the race—held annually at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx—in 2009. After squaring off against the Crimson last weekend, the Elis will encounter another Ivy rival in New York, as Brown is slated to compete at this year’s Iona Meet. In all, Yale will be competing against 18 other schools, including many regional foes like Boston College, Manhattan, Northeastern, Quinnipiac and UMass Lowell.

September 14, 2013Underclassmen Shine in Bulldogs’ Season Opener Against CrimsonThe Yale men’s cross country team opened its season with a valiant effort against its greatest rival on Saturday. Despite registering 42 points in a loss to Harvard (15 points), several individual Elis shined bright on the 8K course at Boston’s Franklin Park. With four of the Bulldogs’ top seven finishers from last year’s Harvard-Yale race having graduated, the team relied primarily on its younger runners in the season opener.

September 12, 2013Bulldogs Head to Boston, Face Crimson in Season OpenerAfter months of intense training, the Yale men’s cross country team will seek revenge against its rival when the Bulldogs travel to Franklin Park to race Harvard on Saturday. The Elis will be looking to turn things around after coming up just short against the Crimson each of the past two seasons. The annual Harvard-Yale competition—a highlight of both teams’ schedules—has a little added excitement this time around, as, unusually, it is the first race of the season for both squads. Yale enters the season ranked eighth in the northeast region in the first USTFCCCA poll; Harvard is currently ranked sixth in the region.

September 6, 2013Bulldogs Enter 2013 Season With High Hopes and ExpectationsThe 2012 season saw the Yale men’s cross country team post its best finish at the NCAA Division I Regional Championships since 2007 while also placing sixth at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships for the second consecutive year. Now, with a more experienced core of veterans and an exciting freshman class, the Bulldogs hope the 2013 season will bring even greater success.

August 23, 2013Bulldogs Welcome 11 Members of Class of 2017The Yale men’s track and field and cross country teams are welcoming several new faces this upcoming season. A total of 11 freshmen will join the track and field team this year, and six of those athletes will also be running cross country in the fall.